Daily Devotional
How God Reacts to Rebellion
“The LORD has appeared of old to me, saying: ‘Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.’”
Jeremiah 31:3
February 18, 2024
Ponder This
God created Adam and Eve, and He gave them everything they needed. No one can say He didn’t raise them right. No one can say He didn’t love them. No one can say He didn’t spend time with them. No one can say He did not carefully teach them. And He warned them that their future depended on their choices, yet they did wrong. By their own choices and free will, they rebelled against their loving Father.
You can be a good parent and lose a child. But reading the Bible you’re going to see God is in the same place you are. God is agonizingly watching your children hurt themselves and hurt others, and yet God refuses to step in and storm their control center and make them machines. He won’t do it. I’m going to tell you something else: He won’t do it with you either. God is looking down from Heaven right now at some grown rebellious children, and He’s stretching out His hands in love and saying, “Come to Me.”
- Who do you know who has rebelled against God? How does that make you feel? How does it feel to know God empathizes with the hurt you experience in these moments?
- Who in your life is far from God? How can you extend love to that person?
Practice This
Take a step toward loving someone who’s far from God.
FOR YOUR GIFT TO THE MINISTRY
Front Porch Moments by Gayle Foster
WITH KEY INSIGHTS FROM HER FATHER, ADRIAN ROGERS
I try to unplug each morning with Jesus with just my rocking chair, my Bible, and a pen.
Having a secret place is very important because I know that Jesus is always there waiting for me. I know where I can find Him! His presence is everywhere, but there are places where it is so thick you can cut it with a knife. You may not even have a front porch, but there is a secret place for you as well. God’s invitations are for anyone who will respond. There is no more important request than the one found in Psalm 27:8: “My heart has heard You say, ‘Come and talk with Me.’ And my heart responds, ‘Lord, I am coming.’”
